Chapter 3: Settling In

"Ms. Ooshige! Please open up!" Mitsuki cried, her voice cracking was cracking even worse than before.

Takuto put his hand on her shoulder and said,

"You're stressing your voice too much, let me do it," he said assuringly.

Mitsuki nodded and looked into his sliver-blue eyes. They had less clouds in them now, but not enough to make much difference in his shrouded past that he didn't know enough about. Takuto stepped forward to face Ms. Ooshige's door. He raised his fist high in the air and lowered it with such speed at the door, that it ended in a tremendously loud "BANG!". Mitsuki gasped a little on his first try to get Ms. Ooshige's attention. He tried again and again until light appeared out of the windows of the house.

"WHO IS IT?!?!?!?!" asked an obviously angered and annoyed voice.

"Ms. Ooshige! We need your help!" Mitsuki's cracked voice called out.

The door opened to reveal a woman with short orange hair and brown eyes wearing a pink bathrobe. There were purple bags under eyes. And Mitsuki only knew only one explanation: she had been drinking (again).

"Mitsuki...," Ms. Ooshige said, confused.

And then she looked at the boy who stood in front of her, about ready to give the door another blow.

"Oh, Mitsuki, you found Takuto, that's... um.... nice..... why this late?"

"Ms. Ooshige! Takuto isn't a shinigami anymore!" Mitsuki said quickly.

"Shinigami.....," Takuto said under his breath.

"Oh..... So what do you need?" Ms. Ooshige asked with a tone that she didn't care whatsoever.

"Can he stay with you tonight?" Mitsuki asked hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah, he can sleep on the couch," she moaned scornfully.

She opened the door to let the confused boy in. He looked at Mitsuki for some advice (who would want to be stuck in a drunk lady's house?) but all she could do was squeeze his hand and give him a comforting smile. Takuto's face felt warm that night on the strange lady's couch as he dreamed of the sweet smiles that his supposedly past friend had given him throughout this long day. Each one of them were heartwarming that would probably even give the married men a hard time to keep their faces from turning bright red. He was somewhat terrified at the idea that he had tried to commit suicide. He reached his hand to the back of his head and felt a large bump. He traced it with his fingers and found that it lead from the middle of his head to the back of his left ear. It made him shudder while touching it. Then he remembered one simple detail, he was in a band? He fell asleep that night wondering what part he played in the band and what songs they did.



Mitsuki woke with a sudden jump. She felt excited but didn't know why. The night before, she dreamed that she had met Takuto, and then he was staying at Ms. Ooshige's house, and she herself got a terrible scolding for running off and not coming back until much later. She pulled her blanket above her head and slept a little longer.


A clatter of plate had awaken Takuto and he got up slowly. He walked to the next room to find Ms. Ooshige making some cereal for herself.

"Good morning.... um..... Ms. Ooshige," Takuto said to the lady.

"Don't yell at me," Ms. Ooshige responded harshly.

"I wasn't.....," Takuto started.

"Don't be rebellious! It's not hard just to talk normally!" Ms. Ooshige cut his sentence with a even more harsh tone.

Takuto sat on one of the dinning room chairs. He dared not to say a word around this woman. Why did Mitsuki make him stay with a person this cruel? (He obviously doesn't know she's been drinking the night before) He watched Ms. Ooshige gobble up her breakfast and walk up her stairs, while announcing she was going to sleep until the afternoon. Takuto sighed. What was there to do in this place? At that question, he started exploring the whole house (except the upstairs, because you know who, is very cranky. There was one room with a toilet that had a terrible odor, and other than that there was a room with a microphone in it connected to a speaker. He thought of maybe having a little fun with it, but it was probably best that he'd leave anything alone due to the fact he might get another scolding. What he wanted to do was hang out with Mitsuki, at least she was more interesting than a scolding woman. Takuto decided to wait outside the house door to wait for his little friend.


"Mitsuki dear, breakfast is ready!" a voice called.

Mitsuki got up instantly and changed out of her pajamas to something casual. She ran to her Grandmother's dining room table and sat on her knees. Her Grandmother and her housemaid, Ms. Tanaka, were already eating and drinking a bowl a warm black tea. Mitsuki joined in. And after a few minutes, her Grandmother said,

"Now Mitsuki, where did you run off to last night?" her voice was stern.

Mitsuki's eyes widened. So the events that she though was her dream was actually true. Her heart started beating with excitement, now she was desperate to see Takuto.

"Mitsuki?" Her Grandmother said even more sternly.

"I just remembered there was a huge sale at the market that I had to get to, but, I didn't manage to get there in time," Mitsuki said quickly, feeling bad about lying.

"You know you can't go out like that in your conditions,"

"But the operation's done,"

"But I your throat is still soar. I can hear it cracking up the moment you speak,"

Mitsuki lowered her head and said,

"I'm sorry Grandmother,"

"That is quite alright, but if you do so again, your punishment shall be severe," the old lady responded and sipped her tea.

Ms. Tanaka waited a few seconds before adding,

"Oh and Mitsuki, Ms. Ooshige called not too long ago saying that you should come over,"

Mitsuki nodded quickly, her heart felt like it was beating faster at the second. She finished her tea and stood up.

"Grandmother, I will be heading off to Ms. Ooshige's place," she said.

Her Grandmother nodded and Mitsuki grabbed her coat and headed off to her friend's place.


Takuto smiled as a gentle breeze combed through his hair. It smelled of sweet scents that he couldn't quite put a name to them. It was warm, although the sky was partially cloudy. He played around with a small twig he found on the ground with his hands. He tried to tie it into a knot, but the pieces kept breaking until there was only a fragment of the twig left (not enough to do anything else but throw it).

"Takuto!" called a cracked up voice.

Takuto turned around to see the face he had been dying to see since it left. She wore a perfect smile on her face that once again, made his face warm. He smiled nervously back at her, and her face seemed to turn bright pink.

"Takuto.... how was your stay?" she asked quickly.

"Why'd you leave me with the 'cranky lady'?" he joked (maybe not).

Mitsuki laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm.

"She's only like this when she drinks!" she said defending her friend.

Takuto said nothing and opened Ms. Ooshige's door and led Mitsuki inside. Surprisingly, Ms. Ooshige sat on the couch drinking coffee.

"Ms. Ooshige, I think you should drink water for your headache," Mitsuki suggested.

The lady spun her head around to face them, making her short orange hair bounce off her cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah, come sit down you two," she said eagerly, gesturing them to the floor in front of her.

Mitsuki sat down happily as Takuto just sat down happy that the once "cranky lady" wasn't cranky anymore.

"So.... How come you're not a shinigami anymore?" asked Ms. Ooshige instantly.

Mitsuki shot a glance at Takuto's fazed look. He didn't say anything and obviously couldn't.

"He doesn't remember Ms. Ooshige, and maybe that's how it should stay," Mitsuki almost whispered.

Ms. Ooshige was also confused, but she nodded in agreement to say nothing more to him about his shinigami times.

"Where will he be staying?" she asked, pronouncing each syllable slowly.

"I was hoping he could stay with you," Mitsuki said.

Ms. Ooshige thought for a moment as she sipped her coffee, then said,

"Wouldn't it be weird if someone found out that a teenage boy would be living with such a young woman such as myself?"

Mitsuki almost caught Takuto snicker at the sentence.

"But couldn't you say he was a younger brother of yours?" Mitsuki asked hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe that could work," Ms. Ooshige said examining Takuto, "although we look nothing alike."

"Half brother? Step brother?" Mistuki asked instantly.

"Half Brother would work for me, but does it work for you?" Ms. Ooshige asked Takuto.

The boy nodded. He wished he could get the point out that he really didn't care where he slept, as long as it wasn't out in the rain. He just nodded for his answer.

"Then it's settled. Takuto, I'll set up a room for you in the spare one next to mine," Ms. Ooshige smiled. She seemed absolutely enjoy the fact of having a little brother, "Now you two go on out and play as I do some errands!"

She grabbed her purse and ran out the door with her mug of coffee, leaving the two behind. Mitsuki didn't want to be cooped up all day (she had enough of that) and said,

"Takuto, if you like I could show you around,"

Takuto nodded eagerly, for he too wanted to get out. And with Mitsuki in the lead, they headed out of Ms. Ooshige's house.